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We found a house we might rent, but the landlord is charging an extra $150 a month rent since we have a dog. This is not directed at us, it is her policy.

I think that it is excessive to charge $1,800 a year because of a pet, especially since we may rent the house for more than one year.

Of course we would pay for any damage our dog may do to the house. We've had the dog for 7 years and he has never damaged our house or carpet, even slightly. If he did anything to a rental house, we would immediately pay for repairs or replacement of carpet.

Is this common in Pittsburgh, to charge extra rent if the tenant has a dog, rather than an extra security deposit?

We don't live in the Pittsburgh area yet. My husband is moving there in June, and we are following when school lets out. We returned from a 9-day house-hunting trip there a week ago, which ended in disappointment.

The house is in N. Huntingdon, in the Norwin school district. I don't think it's in a high rent district, because the base rent is $1,100.

We haven't seen it yet. It is a 2900 s.f., 1-story, basement game room, 4 bedroom house. It is fully carpeted, from what I can tell from the pictures.

If the base rent and pet rent ($1,250) is within or below your budget, are within your budget, I wouldn't get too hung upon what part is rent for the pet---especially since you had a difficult time finding a place during your 9 day trip.

It's common for landlords to increase rent for pets. It's a nonrefundable pet deposit. Maybe the larger the property, the higher the pet deposit. A $50 increase in rent for an apartment and a larger increase in rent for a larger house makes sense to me.

The only option you might consider is offering to give her $1,800 in the form of a refundable pet deposit. That way you have a chance of recovering your money. Don't let this be a deal breaker though. Many charge the monthly increase for pet rent to cover more than damages. Many do do an allergy carpet cleaning for prospective tenants that might be allergic to dogs (or cats). There is also the risk of the tenant abandoning the animal. Sad but true. It happens a lot in rental properties and causes major damage.

As I said, I wouldn't get hung up on this if you would have rented the house for $1,250 as full rent.

I would state to the landlord that the property will be in the same condition when you leave as the same day you rented it. $150 seems out of line. You may be in the driver's seat since there are quite a few rentals on the market.

You need to file a complaint with the BBB and contact your local politicians. These kinds of charges for pets amount to nothing more than extortion. Your pet should be covered by your security deposit. Some places charge a one time non-refundable fee. It is outrageous to charge extra every month for a pet. Would you pay extra for a child? How about a goldfish? This landlord is nothing more than a thief trying to take advantage of a pet owner. If the landlord doesn't want pets then they should say NO PETS. The truth is that she wants you to pay what is considered "normal wear and tear." Landlords have learned that allowing pets is a way to shift normal wear and tear to pet damage.
As one poster pointed out, there are a lot of rentals on the market and I am sure you can find a reasonable home that allows a pet at a fair cost. In my location the only signs that out number the for sale signs are the for rent signs.

As one poster pointed out, there are a lot of rentals on the market and I am sure you can find a reasonable home that allows a pet at a fair cost. In my location the only signs that out number the for sale signs are the for rent signs.

That's not the case for large sized houses in her price range though.

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